Leaner Isn’t Necessarily Better – Innovation Expert Stephen Shapiro

In their quest to hit quarterly earnings goals, companies often focus myopically on the short-term, drastically cutting headcount and overhead to stay afloat. Unfortunately, this can leave an organization malnourished, jeopardizing its long-term health. Companies should focus instead on the type of “fat” they are cutting.

Boston, MA – April 22, 2011 (via PressReleaseNation.com) — As the economy continues to struggle, organizational cutbacks are the norm. Corporations are looking to become “lean mean fighting machines”. But leaner does not necessarily mean healthier. Most organizations are anorexic. In an attempt to cut fat, they also cut muscle. The result – a weak and underpowered organization that is unable to perform at peak levels. Making matters worse, the fat that remains is potentially the most dangerous.

“In the human body there are two types of fat: subcutaneous, the fat stored just under your skin; and visceral, a more insidious fat that surrounds your internal organs and often goes undetected. Similarly, organizations have two types of fat. The visible fat takes the form of bloated employment levels. However, the more dangerous fat remains deep within the organization – typically a result of organizational inefficiencies, bureaucracy and the utilization of suboptimal methods,” says Stephen Shapiro, innovation leader and author of Personality Poker. ( http://PersonalityPokerBook.com )

“Anorexic organizations target the visible fat, rather than going deep down into the vicious hidden fat,” Shapiro points out. “Reorganization efforts, for example, typically result in headcount reduction. This is the equivalent of organizational liposuction. It makes you look leaner, but doesn’t address the more dangerous inefficiencies that exist. It is like putting a Band-Aid on a festering wound.”

Stephen Shapiro’s recent book and personality tool, Personality Poker, helps organizations build their innovation muscle while reducing the hidden fat that results from inefficiencies. The tools provided will make any organization stronger, leaner and more nimble. To play Personality Poker for free online, and see how it has already helped companies world-wide, visit http://game.personalitypokerbook.com/poker.php

About Stephen Shapiro:
Stephen Shapiro is one of the foremost authorities on innovation and collaboration, and has personally touched hundreds of thousands of lives in over 40 countries. While Stephen’s insights apply to virtually any organization, big or small, he has contributed to shifting the innovation culture for such Fortune 500 organization as Staples, GE, BP, Johnson & Johnson, Fidelity Investments, Pearson Education, Nestlé, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. As the founder and creator of a 20,000 person internal innovation practice within Accenture, and advisor to hundreds of organizations worldwide, Stephen possesses a rare and extensive arsenal of tools allowing him to arm any organization with the knowledge they need to shift their most threatening challenges. His most recent project, Personality Poker ( http://PersonalityPokerBook.com ), released by Penguin Portfolio in October 2010, is a card game that has been played by over 25,000 people in boardrooms and living rooms around the world.